Therapy
by ApolloNeko
Summary: Axel, a recovering alcoholic, meets a blue haired stranger in an elevator who makes him see a life without self-medicating. When Saix leaves without a trace, Axel makes it his goal to find him, but when he does they'll both find that the other is much more than they ever imagined. M for later themes. TW: Physical/Mental Abuse, specific warnings before each chapter
**Long A/N:/span Hey all, Feli here. Sorry for being gone for like...over a year. A lot of life happened and I stopped having any muse for Inevitable Feelings, I'm sorry! I'll try much harder to keep this one going for you, though some exams are coming up so I may be a little on and off. As was the case before I love love love reviewers, this first chapter is a little awkward because I'm trying to figure out a tone for this. I think I'm gonna have some short chapters in between from Saix's POV, I don't even know. I need sleep. This plot idea just sort of came to me and I have a vague idea about where it's going, but if there's anything at all you want to see in later chapters I would love to hear it!**

 **WARNING FOR FUTURE PLOT: I put TWs in the description and I'll have them in chapters where they apply, but some chapters will have heavy...thematic elements. After each of those I will probably put a short, watered down summary of the chapter that cuts out any detail so that you can still keep up with the plot. For chapters where you don't want to read it because I warned about something getting more lightly mentioned, you can DM me and I'll send a longer summary that glazes over it as well. Basically I'm really willing to work with anyone who needs it. There's a basic alcoholism warning for every chapter though, considering that's the main character, so I'm sorry about that, but it'll pretty much be a constant theme.**

 **ANYWAY! Now onto the actual fic. Don't worry, it'll get better as plot actually happens and there's stuff to...write about. It can only get better, ye?**

"Hi, my name is Axel Adkinson and I am a recovering alcoholic."

That was usually how his Sundays started. Today had been no different. It was something his therapist had recommended that he take part in, some bullshit about "expressing his feelings in a positive way" or "letting it out rather than bottling it in" or whatever other crap therapists learned to recite at therapist school. God, he hated therapists, he hated the word, he hated the idea of going to one, he hated how stupid and pointless the whole process was, but it was something Roxy had suggested and since he couldn't say no to that guy off he had gone. Axel planned to give that manipulative little blonde a talking to one day, but today was not one of those days.

The tall man trudged down the mostly beige hallway with these unhappy thoughts circulating around his head. He hated beige. He hated the smell of clean carpet and drywall. He hated that the damn building was like 30 stories. He hated group therapy. He fucking hated therapy. Therapy. T.H.E.R.A.P.Y.

According to his...

…

According to Laina he had quite a few, well, she wouldn't say "issues", they were "struggles". Mostly fixation, but also some obsessive tendencies and depression (among other things). Yeah. He could have told her that. He didn't need to pay someone to tell him what he already knew.

It was in this manner that Axel stalked into the occupied elevator and punched the already lit up lobby button just out of principle, piercing green eyes burning into the ebony paneling and...was that...? The male's gaze traveled sideways to the man beside him. Blue hair...really pretty and long but a little messy, it was the color of his favorite crayon growing up. Perrywankle or something like that. Slightly darker skin than his own. A curious X shaped scar on his face. Yet...most striking of all were his eyes, golden like honey or...like his favorite beer growing up. None of that had caught Axel's attention, though it had definitely kept it, the culprit was the faint music radiating off of him, his favorite song that he couldn't for the life of him ever remember the name of. Before the redhead could really process what he was doing he gently nudged the stranger,

"I love that song." The blue haired man glanced over, then back at the panels, then, when he realized Axel was still looking, removed an earbud with a vaguely apologetic expression.

"Huh...?"

"I said I love that song. 'I was yours, I'm not yours anymore.' I don't know. It really sticks with me." Well, shit, now he felt awkward, though he thought he thought he saw a faint flash of agreement in the other's eyes.

"Yeah, m-"

A loud crash accompanied by a violent jolting of the elevator cut the bluenette off and threw both men against the wall.

The lights went out, replaced by an eerie red glow.

Axel swore under his breath.

Both of them sulked for a few minutes, but conversation was unavoidable under such cramped circumstances, so Axel initiated one,

"I'm Axel. If you were wondering. Uh. Thought you might want me to introduce myself. Yeah. Axel. Get it memorized, hah." He thought that was clever, considering his own anxiety-inhibited memory.

"...Saix." Came the simple reply. Axel had a moment of panic as he thought he may be forced to continue the conversation on his own, but luckily Saix spoke again, "I guess we're stuck here."

"Yeah, looks like it. Probably just a power outage or something."

"Mhm."

"So...why were you here? Were you part of the group session thing?"

"Group...? What? Oh, no, I work here. I'm a..." Saix glared away, as if embarrassed, though the red lighting made it hard to tell, "….I'm a temp. Why, were you here for the-?"

"Me? Oh, no. Totally not. I was just. I have a friend who. I. Yeah."

"Oh."

And so they went on this way, making awkward conversation about whatever close at hand topic they could grab. Eventually the situation became less tense. Axel found out they both had similar taste in music and food and breakfast cereal, they had similar humor (awkward and not very good) which helped a little, and over the hours they spent together in the small space Axel actually found himself not distracted by his "struggles" at all. He was genuinely laughing and interested and, oddly enough considering the circumstances, enjoying himself immensely.

When the elevator started moving, he didn't even realize it was happening, not until the doors slid open and Saix stood,

"We made it. It uh...it was...nice to meet you." Saix mumbled to him, obviously unused to saying something so nice. Axel was too dazed by the feeling of actual enjoyment to really respond, and by the time he was on his feet the stranger had vanished into the sea of people milling about the lobby.

"W-wait!" He cried out, bolting through the ground floor and out into the spring air. It was too late, Saix had gone and Axel was left standing, or more precisely leaning against the building, completely dumbfounded.

It couldn't end this way. Screw therapy and Laina and hell, even alcohol, that man had made him feel something. That man had actually made him feel like it would be okay.

And Axel needed to find him.


End file.
